


we should just kiss (like real people do)

by jacenbren



Series: we are but a beautiful chaos (the oppositeshipping collection) [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, I Wrote This While Listening to Hozier's Music, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Kai Smith Speaks Spanish, Kissing, M/M, Mild Language, One Shot, Post-Season 4, Reunions, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Walks In The Woods, and resurrection??, i can’t believe that’s not a tag, no beta we die like zane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:46:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28994685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacenbren/pseuds/jacenbren
Summary: They fell into a contented silence as they walked back towards the nearby village, shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart, and Kai couldn’t help smiling to himself.Zane was back.Kai was home.
Relationships: Background Cole/Nya/Jay Walker, Kai/Zane (Ninjago)
Series: we are but a beautiful chaos (the oppositeshipping collection) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980362
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	we should just kiss (like real people do)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in like ten minutes while procrastinating my other WIPs and listening to Hozier so welcome to another one shot of the Adorably Soft And Depressed Bastards™

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Kai mumbled, wincing as they walked along the snowy mountain path. “Just real tired.”

“I would assume so,” Zane said thoughtfully. “We fought an army of false Anacondrai this afternoon. You must be exhausted.”

Kai groaned, rubbing his forehead. “Feels like it’s been days.”

In all fairness, he felt so tired that he wanted to lay down in the snow and never get up, but there was still work to be done. To prevent any more violence, the elemental masters had gone out on patrol near major settlements to sweep for any false Anacondrai who’d managed to slip under the radar and capture or kill them if necessary. He and Zane were up near Jamanakai Village, doing their perimeter sweep as fireworks went off nearby, the citizens celebrating their victory over Chen’s insane cult. 

God,  _ Zane. _

It still almost didn’t feel real, Kai thought to himself as Zane walked along the worn mountain path alongside him. 

Just a week and a half ago Kai had been convinced that his boyfriend was dead, but here they were, beat up and exhausted but alive, shoulder to shoulder once again. The worst part of it had been the frantic internal debate Kai had had back on the island, when he’d been trying to decide whether or not to grab Zane by the face and kiss him breathless and risk getting his ass kicked by  _ everyone. _ They’d been dating in secret ever since Lloyd’s victory over the Overlord, the  _ in secret _ part mostly due to Kai’s fear that the others wouldn’t be exactly accepting of them. 

Well, after the whole Corridor of Elders ordeal, he’d realized that his fears had been irrational when Jay had literally  _ thrown _ himself into Cole’s arms, and the two had practically made out in front of everyone as Nya laughed in amusement and embraced the pair who were apparently  _ both _ her boyfriends now. 

It was at that moment that Kai had  _ also _ realized that his gaydar was broken, which was ironic considering he happened to be as bisexual as humanly possible. 

Without thinking, he slipped his arm around Zane’s waist. 

Zane blinked, his now glowing blue eyes widening in surprise and curiosity. “Kai, my dear, why is your arm like that? I do not disapprove of it, but you’ve never done it before.”

“I missed you,” Kai said.

He didn’t want to admit it, given that he had a reputation of being the unflappable Master of Fire to uphold, but the idea of Zane slipping through his fingers and vanishing again was  _ terrifying.  _

Zane’s death had shattered something inside him. 

Kai didn’t want to fall down that slippery slope of getting blackout drunk and fighting in the Slither Pits in an attempt to feel something or  _ anything _ ever again. 

“I missed you as well,” Zane murmured, giving him a small smile. 

It was quiet for a moment. 

Then Kai tripped over a rock, and he  _ would’ve _ been able to catch himself had his damn knee not practically been screaming in pain—

Zane yelped and caught him. 

“AAAAAAH!” Kai shrieked as freezing metal palms locked around his forearms. Holy shit, without the silicone synthflesh in the way, Zane’s hands felt like the actual ninth circle of hell!

Kai’s scream startled Zane so much that they both fell into a snowdrift. 

“Oh!” Zane blurted. “I’m so sorry!”

Kai couldn’t help it. 

He burst out laughing (even though the cold of the snow made his bruises and wounds ache), wrapping his hands around Zane’s frigid titanium body. 

“Uhm,” Zane said nervously, “My dear? Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Kai giggled, letting Zane pull him back to his feet. “You’re just fuckin’ freezing, babe. It’s like being grabbed by some kind of ice creature.”

That made Zane laugh. 

Kai couldn’t help smiling as he slipped his arms back around his boyfriend and drew him in for a soft, brief kiss. 

Nothing raunchy, though. Kai wasn’t really in the mood to fuck tonight, especially with how sore his legs—nah, fuck that—how sore his  _ entire body _ was. 

Zane looked so different now, without the warm brown synth-flesh that had contrasted beautifully with his snowy hair and brilliant blue eyes. His body felt broader and colder to the touch, and the hard artificial muscle was much more pronounced under his shiny new titanium skin, but Zane’s laughter hadn’t changed. 

Well,  _ technically _ it had, with that strange new electronic reverb to the Nindroid’s voice, but Zane himself was the same. 

The same man Kai had had his bisexual awakening to and fallen head-over-heels in love with, the first person he’d  _ really _ opened up to besides Nya. 

Kai made a silent vow to never let Zane suffer like he had; never again. 

“I think we’ve done enough patrolling for the night,” Zane said suddenly, his eyes casting a cool glow over his face in the dim light of the stars, a couple more fireworks suddenly popping above them. 

“Hell yeah,” Kai groaned. “I’m sore as shit, baby.  _ Me duelen las piernas como una perra.” _

Right on cue, Zane did that adorable pout as he translated the words in his mind, and then he frowned, which made Kai snort. “Why would your legs hurt like a female dog? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Ask Pixal,” Kai chuckled. 

He snorted when Zane’s face lit up at the mention of his twin flame. Those two were sort of like soul mates but in a deeply platonic way, like they were a matching pair of socks, or something (Kai was too tired to come up with a better comparison, so he elected to forget about it). Back when Pixal had had a physical body, the two had been practically attached at the hip, and Kai had to admit, he’d found it adorable. Now, or at least for the time being, Pixal was a permanent resident of Zane’s processors. Kai didn’t mind that, but part of him was afraid that she’d end up witnessing his and Zane’s less family friendly  _ couples’ activities. _

He decided not to think about that now. 

“Oh,  _ that’s _ what it means,” Zane sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Thank you, Pixal.”

They fell into a contented silence as they walked back towards the nearby village, shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart, and Kai couldn’t help smiling to himself. 

Zane was back. 

Kai was home.

**Author's Note:**

> *sobs hysterically in red/blue gay trope*


End file.
